How to Rein in Stifling Regulations That Hurt Companies and Kill Jobs

How do we restrict the power of political appointees to federal agencies, stopping them from creating industry-stifling and job-killing regulations?

"The first thing you do is you give the power back to Congress," Glenn said Wednesday on radio.

Passing the REINS Act (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act) would do just that, increasing accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process by requiring Congress to approve all new major regulations.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has been a vocal supporter of the REINS Act.

"He says this will fix 90 percent of what is wrong with regulation," Glenn said.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

GLENN: So one of the things I found really interesting in that was it wasn't, as the author writes, and he was living through it in the 1930s -- this was a book that was written in the 1930s and then found later by his family and published in the 2000s. He said, "What made it so dangerous is that everyone dismissed everything that was going on by Hitler and prior to Hitler because first, it was an emergency. And we had to do these things because it was an emergency during the Weimar Republic." And then it became -- it became settled. Everything kind of settled down. And Hitler came in.

And when Hitler came in, they said -- he said the argument for what Hitler was doing, by everybody, the normalcy bias -- everybody was looking for it to be normal. And everybody was saying, "No, he's doing it exactly constitutional. He's doing it exactly the right way. He's demanding that it be done the right way."

And so everything -- every law was passed. It was very important, Adolf Hitler, that it was done exactly right at the beginning.

STU: Right. Partially because he had already had so many legal problems. And, you know, he tried to overturn the government earlier and went to prison.

GLENN: Correct.

STU: So he was constantly trying to justify that his organization was lawful --

GLENN: Is legitimate. Was legitimate and lawful. And then, of course, in the end, everything was suspended, and it became him. And so he had his way.

So make no mistake, fascism and totalitarianism can happen through lawlessness or by controlling the government and passing all of the exact laws and dotting all the I's. That cannot be done with our Constitution because of the Bill of Rights.

You cannot pass laws that spy on people, that round people up, that border people into your homes, that hold you without trial. None of that. The one thing that Hitler did not have was the Constitution of the United States. No country on earth has the Constitution.

If we dismiss it now in easy times, when hard times come, it will for sure be dismissed. And then all of your protections go away. And it is the law that is doing it to you.

And believe me, we're going to be telling a story of a lawsuit that has happened to me recently that my First Amendment attorneys could not believe.

And it was -- it had everything to do with the United States government. The things the government claims they can do and now do, will astonish you. To the point to where I said to my attorney, "Wait a minute. There's no way for my -- there's no way for me to defend myself because the government is holding all the cards and we have no access to any of those cards, even though they admit they have the cards." Yes.

Well, why can't I get those cards to defend myself?

Well, the Constitution requires them. If it is in your defense, you have to be able to have them.

So why aren't they giving them?

Because they claim they don't have to do it anymore.

JEFFY: Oh, okay.

GLENN: I'm telling you, when it is you that is sitting across from the government and the government holds all of the cards and you no longer have power, you no longer work for you and the government no longer works for you, you now answer to the government. When they have that kind of total control, you're in trouble. And we're already there. They just haven't exercised it, in any meaningful way.

But we're already there. You cannot lose anymore rights. The Constitution -- we all love the Constitution, period. No "but." Period.

Mark, you're on the Glenn Beck Program. Hello, Mark. Yes, go ahead.

CALLER: Hello, I'm here. Can you hear me now?

GLENN: Yes, go ahead.

CALLER: Okay. Hey. Hi to you and the guys there.

Hey, you know, when you have bureaucrats in office, especially when they're liberal, it's almost impossible to get rid of them. I was reading an article a month ago. There was a 122 positions that were usually political appointees that the -- civil service department heads deemed 87 of them now as permanent jobs that Obama has filled. So how do we go about getting those changed back so that way the role of the president can be done? Constitutionally, can he do it?

GLENN: You do -- yeah. A couple things, yes, because all of the departments are under the president of the United States.

CALLER: Yeah. But how do you get rid of those bureaucrats, who are entrenched, who pass these, quote, unquote, mandates and laws like the EPA and stuff?

GLENN: You do this -- the first thing you do is you give the power back to Congress. And you support, what is it, the REINS Act, which actually gives the power back to Congress. Nothing can be passed by these departments. They cannot act on their own. Congress writes all laws, which is a redrawing of the lines of the Constitution and just making the Constitution in bolder print and taking away the power of -- of the -- so you won't have to worry about anything future.

Then the best way to --

CALLER: Does Paul Ryan and McConnell have the backbone for it?

GLENN: I don't know.

STU: I think they might pass that. I think they might actually -- I think it might actually get through. Obviously, Trump would need to sign it. But I think he would.

GLENN: It is the number one agenda item for people in the freedom movement, and it's --

STU: Mike Lee in particular has led the charge on this, among others.

GLENN: Yeah. He says this will fix 90 percent of what is wrong with regulation.

STU: Yeah, any big regulation that costs -- I don't know. Was it $100 million or more? I think that's the number. Has to go back and go through Congress.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE